


Baby its Cold Outside

by peachesncreamm



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, But no one dies, Fluff, Ice Skating AU, M/M, No Smut, Shadow has PTSD, Slow Burn, actually its pretty angsty, background knuxouge, but theres no seggs, i love rouge, its very fluffy omg, maria is a mobian cause theres no humans, no beta we die like men, not in my Christian Minecraft Server, rated teen for minor swearing, rouge is a great best friend to shadow, shadow is canonically a himbo in this, theres some angst so please beware, theyre both in college
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 07:08:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28649559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachesncreamm/pseuds/peachesncreamm
Summary: one lousy attempt at some bonding time with knuckles turns into a whole month of stupid coincedences, a whole year of heartfelt pining, and some shoddy attempts at emotional support.Sonic Harthe, a sweetheart with good intentions and shit balance bumps into Shadow Ritfahni, an ex pro figure skater and they get into a bit of a race at the local rink, the ARK Ice Rink. Soon after, he starts seeing things that he really, really hadnt noticed before. Will our beloved golden boy befriend this handsome stranger, or will he pass up the opportunity?
Relationships: Knuckles the Echidna/Rouge the Bat, Shadow the Hedgehog/Sonic the Hedgehog
Comments: 6
Kudos: 12





	1. [rental skates]

**Author's Note:**

> hi there! my name is peaches.
> 
> this is an ice skating story thats filled with romance, and some shitty cliches. cause i love them shut up
> 
> i should also mention that shadow has ptsd in this story! personally i am lucky enough not to suffer from this sort of thing but i will make sure to put a trigger warning anywhere there might be anything that could upset people. for now it should all be pretty good, aha!
> 
> happy reading!

All suited up in overly warm clothing, a blue hedgehog and a red echidna both tied the laces of their bright orange rentals. While they fitted the skates on, Sonic decided to make small talk. It was his idea after all to take a break from his studies and try and spend some bro-time with Knuckles- everything just seemed so tense between them lately, it was time for them to loosen up a little.

“So, Knucks. you said you've never skated, right?”  
Knuckles crossed his arms over his chest, already having finished fixing the skates to his feet. He looked up at Sonic as he still fiddled with his laces.

“Not that I can remember, nah. How about you?” It was a short reply, but it worked for the moment. He huffed and rubbed his nose, a dual clawed hand tracing the outline of a Band-Aid on his cheek. It was supposed to be a natural skin colour, but the red echidna’s natural flesh tone was much darker and caused the Band-Aid to be painstakingly obvious.

“Dude I’m like, the fastest on ice. You just watch, I’ll outskate everyone in the rink five times over.” The cocky remark from Sonic was replied with a quiet scoff, amused by his friend’s confidence even though he knew for a fact that Sonic had never skated before.

“We’ll see about that, hotshot.”

The boys made light conversation as they shakily entered the rink, Sonic complaining about one of his teachers in precise detail. He seemed to spend more time criticizing the poor teachers than listening in class. Knuckles would provide short responses and insight, after all he wasn’t much of a talkative guy. Sonic was – despite his word – having a bit of trouble on the ice. He was staying closer to the sides of the rink just in case of a slip, but somehow managed to gain his balance quickly. He was nowhere near being decent but could keep himself steady. Keeping up their conversation, both the echidna and the hedgehog skated a few warmup laps to get used to the ice. The rink was filled with the laughs of little kids and their families, the chatter of teenagers and the distant boom of some old pop song through the speakers. 

There are always a few staff in the rink, and they’re often quite easy to pick out. They are the confident skaters who never fall over.

They are also – as Sonic has just learned – the people who skate incredibly close to you and almost make you fall over. A black striped hedgehog wearing a surprising amount of red sped past on his skates, nearly knocking the two boys over. Even Knuckles – who was a natural on the ice – stumbled. Sonic was about to yell out to the stranger but decided not to when the obvious professional turned around and stared blankly at him. A burning feeling inside of him told Sonic to challenge the other. So, he did.

With a grin spreading across his face, Sonic narrowed his eyes and winked. He used the brake at the front of his skates to push off, chaotically speeding up to level himself with the now-backwards skater. The rookie and veteran skaters locked eyes, unspoken challenge and rivalry sparking in both. Sonic and the mysterious hedgehog were almost neck and neck, neither of them behind nor neither of them in front. His rival weaved gracefully around and between the public – still backwards mind you - , dodging children with ease . Sonic, however, wasn’t so lucky. He was barely scraping by the walls and swerving around other Mobians haphazardly. 

‘Finally, a clear space to pick up speed.’ He thought. Sonic managed to gain enough speed to meet the other again. Just as he thought he had caught up, Sonic’s skates slipped on the ice and he tripped. With a surprised gasp, he failed to catch himself and slammed into the ice with his shoulder.  
***

As soon as he saw his new cobalt coloured rival slip, Shadow skidded to a stop and slowly approached him. He extended a hand to help this confident rookie up, so he could get on with his day. The young man took his hand; however, Shadow certainly did not expect the strength from the other side pulling him down. Shadow let out a breathless yelp and landed on the ice next to the speedster. Surprised, he turned to scold the other, but was greeted with a bubbly laugh.

“Oh man, that was great! You should’ve seen your face; you were all like- oh i'm totally gonna win thisss.” He dragged out the last syllable. With the three final words, he briefly imitated a stone-faced expression, then quickly returning to a smile. He continued to giggle as Shadow came to his senses. This younger hedgehog had fallen over, and as much as he wanted to lecture the young man about the dangers of the ice… staff protocol was to make sure they were okay enough to keep skating.

“Are you okay?” Shadow’s words sounded like they were automatic, almost hollow. He just wanted to get on with his day again, social interaction wasn’t really something he enjoyed engaging in. He pulled himself up off the ice, holding his hand out for the blue hedgehog to take it for the second time. “Don’t pull me down this time.” The sentence rolled out before he could stop it, laced with warning.

He accepted the gloved hand offered to him and gave a thankful glance.

“Uh- sorry. Thanks though,” the young man sounded almost apologetic, a sheepish smile spreading across his tan coloured muzzle. “My name’s Sonic, by the way.”

Sonic leaned on the edge of the rink, refusing to use what little balance he had left and instead rely on the cool concrete that surrounded the ice. Shadow payed that no mind, however, he replayed watching the younger man fall in his head, realising he had crunched his shoulder upon impact to the ice. Not listening to Sonic’s incoherent blabbering, he turned around and began to skate toward an exit off the ice. He halted when he felt a light tap on his shoulder.

“And just where do you think you’re going?”

“To get ice for you, where else?” Shadow’s tone was dry, like he was done with the conversation before it had started.

“Aww, for me? How could I ever thank you?” The sarcasm was light, but it was there. But at the same time, he almost sounded… sincere? The black hedgehog deadpanned and mumbled as he glided away again.

“Don’t take it too personally. It’s my job.” Shadow turned his back on Sonic for the second time to exit the ice, returning to his task of retrieving some sort of ice pack.

“Wait! Can’t I at least know the name of my Prince Charming?” Sonic called after the other hedgehog for the second time, voice absolutely dripping with sarcasm. Shadow gave a quiet huff in response, then shouting back once more over the commotion of the rink.

He shrugged. “No.”  
***

As Sonic watched the other hedgehog disappear off the ice, he turned his head to see a smirking Knuckles slowing to a stop behind him. The echidna smiled as he mocked Sonic’s words from earlier, with a childlike tone.

“‘I can outskate anyone in the rink!’” Knuckles teased, followed by his pink tongue sticking out of his mouth. He was greeted with a firm punch from Sonic, a playful reply to the mockery. 

“Shut up, knucklehead.”

“So, what was that about, anyway? You hurt yourself or something?” Knuckles returning the punch Sonic had just given him, although considerably harder due to the echidna’s unawareness of his own strength.

Sonic tensed, touching his arm after the forceful hit. He whined to Knuckles and explained how that was the shoulder he fell on and how much Knuckles had wounded him greatly, and that he was disappointed in him for hurting his pride. He then snickered a little and rubbed his shoulder again. Not long after he had disappeared, said Prince Charming had returned from around the corner with a small, plastic covered piece of ice in his hand. He stepped onto the rink and began to glide toward the pair, clearing his throat to make himself known.

Sonic turned away from his conversation with Knuckles, smiling to greet the newcomer. He offered the ice to the blue blur but was surprised when he refused the ice pack.

“Thanks, but no thanks. If I need an ice pack, I’ll just lie on the floor. It is made of ice, if you haven’t noticed.” Sonic waved his hands in front of him in a dismissive manner, hoping he didn’t come off as rude for making the staff member walk all that way and organise a pack for him. There was a pause, a short moment where Prince Charming didn’t make a sound- his face didn’t change as he seemed to think it over. ‘maybe I should apologise?’ Luckily, he didn’t seem too bothered about it.

"Of course you'd say that." He scowled to himself, placing the pack that occupied his hand onto the concrete wall Sonic had previously been depending on, and began to lean on it himself. “Although, you could’ve said you hadn’t wanted it in the first place- it would’ve saved me the trip.” He paused, scraping his skate on the ice. “I would suggest you get that shoulder checked, though.”

Sonic's expression faltered, having remembered dealing with worse injuries as a kid by himself. His shoulder wasn’t that much of a worry for him, and he really didn’t want to waste money going to get his shoulder prodded by someone who could tell him what he already knew. He opened his mouth to protest, but all that fell out was a small sigh. He knew the guy probably meant well by the reccomendation, and there was little to no chance he of needing proof, so Sonic merely agreed out of compliance.

“Just for you, Prince Charming.” the sarcasm was back again, paired with a flashy smile for good measure.

The other hedgehog deadpanned, clearly trying not to pay any attention to the nickname. The loudspeaker burst to life with a young woman’s voice, announcing the session was halfway done. Time really did fly fast; Sonic couldn’t believe it had been half an hour already. Knuckles had arrived at least ten minutes late and Sonic had to wait outside for him. Then they had to try on and fit their skates before they could hit the ice.

The rest of the session was rather uneventful; the ebony coloured hedgehog having disappeared after the halfway announcement. Sonic chatted with Knuckles as they skated in circles around the rink, only for the speakers to pause once more and sound that their hour on the ice was up.  
***  
Sonic sighed as he unlocked and walked through the door of his apartment. He tossed the keys onto the sleek wooden table, dropping himself onto the couch and opening his phone. His mind eventually wandered back to his day at the rink. That black hedgehog’s face as they raced, it was just- so determined. Determined to win that silly unspoken competition. He wanted to know more about that hedgehog. Of course, it would be suspicious if he just started to pop up in this random guy’s life, but he didn’t see any other way to get to know him better than to hang out with him. Sonic’s finger had stopped moving the screen on his phone, and he just stared at it blankly.  
‘Maybe I should go skating more…’ He was completely lost in thought. Sonic shook his head and decided to air out his apartment. He slipped his phone into his pocket and walked to the main window in his living area. He swung open the shutters and opened the window, letting his eyes slowly lift upward.

Previously mentioned black hedgehog was staring wide-eyed back at him. It took a second for Sonic to realise that mister mysterious himself was standing at his own window, in his own apartment, in his own building. Directly across from him. Soon enough, the blue blur realised that the skater wasn’t wearing anything except for the towel wrapped around his waist- he must’ve been showering. Sonic and the darker hedgehog (who had been just as astounded at Sonic) both slammed their windows shut and closed the curtains. Maybe it was better if he just turned the fans on. 

As he pressed himself to the closed shutters, the image of the other hedgehog made it clear that it wasn’t going to remove itself from his mind. It did give him time to analyse it though. He clearly had the build of a skater, that’s for sure. His body was well toned and covered entirely in pitch black fur- save for a few stripes on his wrists and quills. The thing that did catch Sonic’s attention though, was his legs. Both shared an ugly scar that stood out against the black and red striped fur. The skin stretched itself unevenly in a large, ugly lines, across just above his lower thighs. The skin was a pale salmon pink, loudly announcing its presence. 

Sonic winced at the thought of what the other hedgehog must’ve gone through to receive a scar like that. And more importantly, how he managed to end up in the apartment complex, and apartment perfectly parallel from his own. Had he always lived there? How long had he been there, and the hedgehog hadn’t known…? Surely Sonic would’ve noticed someone like mister mysterious.

Sonic let go of a breath that he wasn’t aware he had been holding. He finally moved away from the closed shutters and turned the room’s fan on. He laid back down on the couch, slipping his hand into his pocket once again to retrieve his phone- which he focused on until night became day.


	2. [familiar faces?]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> wait wait thats,,, thats a coincedence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chap was written in 2019! its SO much better than the last one, aha. still pretty mundane and i dont like how it starts but im not going to rewrite it, aha. enjoy!

Bright blue eyebrows knitted together in a vain attempt to block out the light streaming in from the window.

Sonic’s eyes snapped open in panic as he reached for his phone, which had fallen on the floor. He’s fallen asleep on the couch, at some ungodly hour, completely forgetting about his lecture that he had first up in the morning the next day. He checked the clock; Nine thirty-four. He had about ten minutes give or take before he was late for the bus. Just to make things oh so much better, Sonic’s phone died in his hands as he went to check his schedule.

He shot out of bed, rushing around the kitchen in a hurried attempt to get together some sort of breakfast. He plugged his phone in near the toaster, grabbing the half-cooked pop tart from within the metal slits meant for bread. Shoving it in his mouth, he grabbed a pack of crackers from the cupboard and stuffed it in a backpack.  
The coffee had finished brewing just in time for Sonic to grab it after changing clothes, half-heartedly pouring it straight into some sort of travel mug. He snatched his textbook and added it to his bag, then made sure he had his keys, wallet and phone.

Not that his phone had much use, anyway.

The blue hedgehog rushed out of his apartment with as much speed as possible, deciding the stairs were quicker than the elevator and making his way outside. He had just under a minute to get to the bus stop across the road. He sprinted across the traffic, dodging and swerving through a few cars’ path on the way there.  
The bus arrived just before Sonic could reach the little station on the side of the road. 

“Hold it!” Sonic shouted as he reached the door of the vehicle, grabbing on to the handrail and throwing himself onboard. He waved a card in front of a reader until he heard a beep, then stood with his hands in his pockets as the bus resumed following the route it was on. He had another ten minutes before his lecture, and at the rate he was traveling, he was going to be so late. Come on, he thought, please for the love of Mobius go faster-

It wasn’t long before he arrived, waving his card in front of the reader for the second time. Sonic checked his watch; he was already late. Using as much energy as he could muster this early in the morning, he picked up his pace until he was in a full-blown sprint.  
The blue hedgehog placed his hands on the handle of the door, slowly pushing it down and inward. He made his best attempt to be as quiet as possible- he couldn’t afford being seen late; not again. He began to make his way up the stairs of the lecture hall, to an empty seat.

“Ah, I see you’re late again, Olgivie.”

Sonic sighed. He gave up trying to sneak, standing upright as he wove through a few people and sat down into an empty chair.

“It’s Sonic, Sir.”

It’s not like he was late all the time, but lately it did seem to be some sort of a habit. Wake up late, get to the lecture hall late, disrupt the class. Even for the speed junkie that Sonic naturally was, somehow, he got disrupted when he needed to get somewhere on time.

The blue hedgehog opened his notebook, staring at the blank pages. He tapped his pen against the paper, then against the table, then back on the paper. He wasn’t really listening, to be honest. He should be, but today was just one of those days where he couldn’t be bothered to pay attention. it was only a few weeks into the term, after all- how much would it cost him to space out for a bit? So, Sonic let his mind wander.

It didn’t stray far before his head was filled with that hedgehog from yesterday. He couldn’t possibly live in the building next door, on the exact same floor as him.  
After a short while he grew bored, so curiosity took his eyes upward. The blue hedgehog scanned the seats in the room, just observing how many people were there… but then it happened.  
Three rows down, two to the right, sat a black and red hedgehog.

No way! He thought to himself. How in the name of Chaos is he here? Sonic sat there, having dropped his pen onto his notebook in utter shock. That hedgehog from yesterday – both the rink and the uh… window incident – was sitting right under his nose! There was no way he’d been there the whole year, right? Luckily no one seemed to notice the blue hedgehog’s inner shock and he continued to bore holes into the back of the mysterious young man’s head. How had he been there without me noticing? What other classes did he take? Had he been in that class for a long time? How old was this guy, anyway? The blue hedgehog couldn’t take his eyes off the other as he pounded himself with internal questions. There were so many things whizzing through his brain, ideas and what ifs racing back and forth and morphing into new ideas and different what ifs- all clearly too important to the blue hog at the time to actually listen to the lecture he’s busted his balls to get to in the first place.

***

Sonic wasn’t the only one noticing the other’s appearances. Ever since the run-in at the rink, Shadow hadn’t been able to get that damn blue idiot out of his mind. He told himself that when he saw the rookie standing in the apartment building across from his, it was his eyes playing tricks on him.  
That was the only explanation, right?

His eyes only proved Shadow wrong when he heard the door to the lecture hall give a soft click, then swing open quietly. He watched in utter disbelief as Sonic crept into the room, obviously late. He couldn’t afford to miss too much of the lecture, however- so Shadow turned his attention back to his notepad and began to scribble down the notes he saw fit.  
His notebook was blank by the end of the class. No matter how much the hedgehog knew he should’ve paid attention, he just couldn’t get that damn blue pelt out of his head. They couldn’t have been so close to each other without noticing this whole time, could they? He knew it was a stupid thing to question, his memory. Shadow’s memory hadn’t been the best in the past year or so, but the last few months leading up to today had seemed to be improving. He could remember important things, like chores he needed to perform around his apartment and errands he had to run. What time he usually met up with Rouge on Thursday evenings and where the restaurant they frequented was located. But there were always a few things that would slip his mind- where he put the television remote. How his keys ended up on the floor in the bathroom. Where had that hoodie he wore last week gone?

Shadow pressed a finger to his temple and chose to clear his mind. the lecture had long since ended and he had somehow found himself in the courtyard, just sitting on a garden ledge and staring at his blank notebook. Did he have any classes after this? Who knows. His sudden blankness of mind was soon interrupted as Shadow spied someone approaching him.

“Hi!”

That damned blue idiot. He pinched the skin above his nose, squeezing his eyes shut and mentally preparing himself to deal with Sonic.

“Good morning.” There was a small silence. It made the darker hedgehog want to squirm, what was probably about ten seconds felt like an eternity. He could mention how he’d been seeing the other around, but then his mind wandered back to that moment by his window. In attempt to both kill the silence that was eating him alive and shake the unpleasant memory from his brain, he blurted something out before he could stop himself. “Have you gotten your shoulder checked?” It honestly didn’t even sound like a question, just a statement he forced out to change the tense atmosphere.

It seemed to work, as Sonic visibly relaxed and proceeded to sit down next to him.

“No, obviously.” He let out a laugh before continuing, “I haven’t had time since yesterday afternoon- cause y’know, study and stuff.”

“Mhmm.”

There was a short pause, a silence. It was rather uncomfortable, and Shadow was about to speak up when Sonic beat him to it.

“So should I just call you Sir Stripesalot, or’ve you got a name?”

At that moment, Shadow lost all interest he might’ve had in getting to know this person. So what if he lived practically next door, went to the same college and shared a class with him. That didn’t mean he needed to have a friendship with him. He didn’t need any new people in his life- Shadow was perfectly fine with just having Rouge and the gang at the rink. They were a small group- but they were all he ever considered having with him. There was no way he was giving this chaotic ball of energy his name; it would only encourage him further. Shadow just wanted to go home.

“I don’t see why you’re so interested in my name, hedgehog.”

“Well, I keep seeing you everywhere so we might as well know each other’s names at the very least,” he paused, his cheery tone becoming smug as he continued. “And I’ve already told you mine, so you gotta keep up your end of the bargain.”

Bargain. Shadow thought on that word, puzzled. He was sure he had never made such a deal with the other, but his thoughts danced around the concept of his bad memory. He could have just forgotten about it- and Shadow was never one to back out of a deal. So, after a couple of seconds to think, he reluctantly said his name in a hushed tone.

“Shadow.”

“Hm?” by the looks of it Sonic had already lost interest in the conversation - Chaos, was I that slow? – he looked up from his notepad that was filled with scribbles and random words. That probably related to the lecture he’d spaced out during.

“My name,” a hand made its way up to the dark hedgehog’s neck. “It’s Shadow.”

“Oh!” Sonic extended his arm, holding it out for a friendly handshake. “It suits you, man. Nice to properly meet you.” He smiled as Shadow took his hand and shook it. After the short handshake ended, Sonic checked his watch and a look of disappointment flashed across his face. “Ah, I have another lecture in fifteen. See you around?”

“Mhmm.” Although he couldn’t pinpoint why the other had sounded disappointed of all things, Shadow didn’t have a class until the afternoon. So, he was free to make his way home and run some errands. Sonic gave him a small wave goodbye, heading back in the direction of the lecture halls.

If he was honest, Shadow didn’t want to ‘see him around’. Sonic seemed like an annoyance and an interruption to his studies, not to mention his personal life. The skater picked himself up from where he sat and trudged toward the nearest bus stop. He had an afternoon shift at the rink, so he supposed he could head home and make himself something to eat in the meantime. Time just melded together when he was distracted, and the next thing he knew, Shadow had arrived at the lobby of his apartment complex. He waved to the receptionist and gave a curt ‘good afternoon’, slipping into the lift and waiting for it to ascend.

Soon after Shadow had let himself into his apartment, he made himself a sandwich and positioned himself on the couch while he ate it. He reached for his phone once again, scrolling absentmindedly through his Instagram page and mulling over this morning’s interaction. With a sudden realisation, the dark hedgehog placed the rest of his sandwich on his plate and closed his eyes briefly.

He hadn’t made a deal to tell him his name.

The rest of the time Shadow spent in his apartment was just simple, putting a load of washing in the machine and discarding his current clothes for more- rink appropriate attire. Shadow enjoyed the chill that was sent through him as he stepped onto the ice, so he often only brought a simple t-shirt and some sort of jeans. The jeans were mainly for safety, for if he needed to kneel on the ice his fur wouldn’t get wet. He stuffed a hoodie into his bag anyway, just in case he felt like wearing it on the ice. Shadow laid his skates on top, then slipped a portable charger and a cord in the duffel bag.

Soon after, Shadow left the house and made his way down to the bus stop parallel to his apartment block. He returned his attention to his phone once on board, and soon enough he had arrived at the ARK Ice Rink.

He made his way to the control room, where he knew Rouge was residing for the day. She had a relatively easy job, announcing the session times and choosing the music. He knocked twice, then let himself in to the room. It was rather spacious and had been decorated by Rouge herself. There were a few beanbags in one corner, and there was LED strips running along where the ceiling and the walls met. She was seated in a swivel chair in front of a desk with multiple different screens and a microphone, humming to the tune of one of the songs she had picked for her rink playlist. Rouge was dressed in a comfortable pair of grey leggings that were tucked over socks; her shoes long forgotten under the desk. She wore a pastel pink midriff and a pair of sunglasses on her forehead. She always had a phenomenal sense of fashion.

“Hey, sugar. How was the lecture?” Rouge’s voice came out smooth as ever, her turning slightly to address the hedgehog behind her. Shadow sighed.

“Ugh, don’t remind me.” A silence from Rouge and an encouraging smile told him to tell her more. He dragged one of the bean bags closer to the desk and seated himself in it. “That guy from yesterday – the one who raced me – turns out to be a lot more annoying than I remember.”

“Why do you say that?”

“He lives in the exact same apartment as me, just in the block parallel to mine. And he’s in my English class.” He rubbed his face with his hands. “He’s annoying.”

“Aw, why do you say that?” She rolled the chair backwards, leaning down to open a door from under the desk and retrieved a soda from the mini fridge stashed there. She held it out to him in silent question, to which he politely raised a dismissive hand, accompanied with a small nod and a half smile.

“He’s already pissed me off enough with his stupid chummy manner yesterday, and he won’t stop asking for my name.”

“Did you give it to him?”

“Give what to him.” It sounded more like a statement, then a question.

“Your name, hon.”

“Oh, yes. I did.”

Rouge gave him an amused smile, leaning toward the desk and pressing a button on the intercom. She used a suave voice that got her the job in the first place, announcing the end of one session and the start of another.

“Hellllooo, skaters! The eleven O’clock to twelve thirty session has now ended, so if you have a blue wristband, please make your way off the ice. For those with the orange wristbands, make sure your skates are secure because your session starts now.”

The music resumed as she finished up her little speech. Rouge returned her attention to Shadow, still sitting on the beanbag. 

“You should probably get down there, sugar.” She took a sip from her soda that she had retrieved from the minifridge earlier.

“Mhmm.” He reached for his bag, pulling on a navy hoodie with the word ‘STAFF’ written on the back. It didn’t take long for Shadow to lace up his skates and leave the rest of his belongings with his friend. He gave her a thumbs up and a small smile, closing the door gently and walked to the ice floor. As soon as his skates touched the ice, Shadow’s worries melted away.

The ice was his haven. This is where he belonged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks again for reading! im working on the next chapter now [9th jan 2021] and hopefully ill be able to get it done!
> 
> comments are always welcome! leave me some constructive criticism if youd like <3
> 
> drink some water!

**Author's Note:**

> hey hey!! just wanted to start off by saying thanks for reading this, aha. i started it back in 2018 and i abandoned it for a while, then i've been trying to fix it up and finish it off since then. its a bit of a mess at the moment and the first couple of chapters are a bit stale, but i promise i'll be getting into the meat of it soon enough. the whole story is planned out and as of today [9th of jan, 2020] i'll be reviewing the plot plans i have to see if i need to make anything fit better. hopefully ill have the motivation to finish this lmao.
> 
> as always please feel free to leave a comment! i enjoy constructive criticism too, so if youhave any of that feel free to leave it below haha. love you all!
> 
> drink some water for me, too <3


End file.
